Healthy Options Shopping Haul (May 2016)

Three days before Philippine Elections Day, we went to Healthy Options Shangri-la Mall for another shopping episode. (Read previous month’s haul here.) During rush hour, heavy traffic along EDSA and Ortigas Avenue was as we would know it. By the time we arrived at the mall, we were very hungry but still had the energy to carefully choose the items to carry back home. This time, I took more food (grocery stuff) and less of supplements and personal care products. 🙂

Healthy Options Shopping Haul (May 2016)

Groceries

I got two variants of the Silly Cow Farms Hot Chocolate: Chocolate-Moo-usse and Peppermint Twist, each in a 16-oz. clear glass milk jug. I thought these would be a great drink for breakfast for a change of pace in place of coffee. The Chocolate Moo-usse contains natural cane sugar, grand cocoa (cocoa processed with alkali), bittersweet chocolate (cacao beans, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla beans) and Dutch processed cocoa with alkali. The Peppermint Twist contains natural cane sugar, Dutch processed cocoa (with alkali) and natural peppermint flavor. How different do they taste from Milo drink? That I have to find out soon. 🙂

Walden Farms Barbecue Sauce (Thick & Spicy) is said to feature the delicious taste of BBQ without the calories. Yes, you read that right. It’s free of calories, fat, gluten, carbohydrates and cholesterol! It’s definitely recommended to anyone who is following the low-carb diet or is just watching calories. Tangy, sweet, and barbecue-y, this sauce can be used for grilling, marinading and dipping.

Think it’s challenging to cook creamy pasta while cutting the calories? With Cadia Organic Vodka Cream Pasta Sauce,it can be achieved quite easily. This product was made with all things organic: tomatoes, tomato puree, sweet whey, lemon juice, garlic puree, onion, basil, oregano, vodka, soybean oil, and salt. There’s a slight sharpness to the taste but it’s not too bitter. It can also be used to make an “alcoholic version” of your homemade tomato-based pizza.

For green tea lovers, there can be nothing more relaxing than sipping your stress away with a soothing cup of The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha. As a fan of matcha, I have been eyeing on this since last year, so you can imagine how happy I was when I finally bought it. 🙂 This green tea blend contains less than a quarter the amount of caffeine per cup than in a similar-sized cup of coffee. With regard to health benefits, matcha is rich in antioxidants that are tied to lower risk of heart disease and cancer and lower blood pressure. It neutralizes that the harmful effects of UV rays, radiation and pollution have on your cells.

The package comes with 50 circular tea bags. Blissful and aromatic, The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha has a fresh, springtime-grassy flavor, just mild and not overpowering. It’s made with the harmonious blend of 100% organic China green tea (leaves) and organic Japanese matcha (powder form). I tried adding milk and a bit of sugar to make my own matcha green milk tea. Love it!

For snacks to share with my family, I did not hesitate to put the barkTHINS Snacking Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Toasted Coconut with Almonds into my shopping cart. Made with natural ingredients, the super thin slivers of rich, fair trade dark chocolate are loaded with toasted coconut and almonds. BarkTHINS are perfectly portioned for the serious chocolate lover. If you’re one serious chocoholic though, you might want to hoard these for yourself. 😛

A delightful mix of crunchy corn flakes, lightly sweetened oat clusters and thinly-sliced almonds, the Cadia All Natural Almond Clusters and Flakes is a great way to start the day. I like it with hot milk, even in summer.

Popped with real corn and the finest all natural ingredients, you can snack smart with Popcorners Natural Popped Corn Chips – Sweet Chili Flavor while still satisfying your craving for popcorn. These chips are rather thin and easy to chew, as they were popped and not fried. Flavor is as the label says: a little bit spicy (because of chili) and a little bit sweet.

Frozen

Gluten-free franks with no artificial ingredients, not preserved, no nitrates or nitrites added? I got curious and I wanted to know how these uncured turkey franks taste. Ingredients include water, potato starch, sea salt, ground mustard seed, spices, and turkey. Preparation is simple, as these franks are generally precooked and only need to be heated through.

Supplement

According to statistics and medical researches, one in six men may experience prostate health issues, and one out of two over age 60 will get BPH or benign prostatic hypertrophy. These two factors alone signal the need for ways to reduce men’s risk of developing disease. Dad told me to get Prostate Support Soft Gels with Phytosterols for my grandfather. This is to specifically maintain his health and alleviate the enlargement of prostate.

The shampoo has pro-vitamin B-5 and jojoba oil which soften the hair strands. The restoring properties of keratin amino acids help strengthen each strand for added body and bounce. The Nature’s Gate conditioner uses unique blend of wheat proteins and patented sunflower seed extract that protects the colored hair from fading and damage caused by daily UV exposure. These two smell so good!

Wrap Up

Consumers and public health authorities alike are now more vocal in their concerns and desire for nutritionally superior products and categories that drive lifestyle and diet changes. With a good approach to enhance options on nutritional and healthier alternatives to many traditional favorites, Healthy Options is a one-of-a-kind store in the Philippines that offers several brands and high quality products that suit the tastes and requirements of customers. Which Healthy Options products have you tried and do recommend? Feel free to share in the Comment section below. 🙂

This is great! I’m a green tea lover and would definitely try the green tea with matcha. I’m so glad consumers are starting to demand higher quality products and even happier that companies are listening. Awesome!

The organic food market has only been around at its current levels of popularity since the turn of the century. And, as it continues to grow, the industry will likely learn to better recognize the exact details of the demands made by their consumers. This will be better for everyone involved.

Healthy Options has so many treasures, it is so fun to look around in there. The prices though are usually more than the price you imagine. Thanks for these reviews so we know what is worth buying and not.

I’ve only tried two of all of those – the Walden Farms and BarkThins. I was very happy with both. The Walden Farms sauce was my go to for chicken when chicken was pretty much all I was eating. I really enjoyed the amount of flavor it added. The BarkThins are just delicious.

Whoah, I remember the last time I visit the shop in Ayala, Cebu. I really find healthy options shop one of the best shops in terms of food supplies such as supplements, snacks, juice, and more. Although I am not particular with the products since we don’t have a store here in our place but I did try one of the chips they sold which my sister bought before. and I can say that among the types of chips I have tried, health options does it in a different way yet still delish just like how other chips taste.

People factor in health as one of the most essential things to consider in life aside from or only next to career, love, and time. 😉 For those who are conscious about health and want only the best and safest personal care products and food, Healthy Options is an ideal store to visit.

LOVE Healthy Options. It’s God-send because my son has a lot of allergies. We buy his vegan breakfast cereal, cookies, and casava chips there. It’s an added expense to our weekly budget, but it’s worth it because he gets to enjoy cereal and treats.

This looks like a delicious haul! The Bark Thins look tasty, as does the green tea and pasta cream sauce. Yum! And the combination of mandarin orange and patchouli in your conditioner — I bet that smells heavenly!

Food and Lifestyle Blogger in Manila

Roch Santos-Sioco is behind the blog Rochkirstin | com. Based in Manila, Philippines, she's a digital marketing strategist by day (and sometimes by night, let's get real) and a blogger with a large appetite for food & travel. She always aims to create content that's meaningful and enjoyable, whether it's a full-length blog post or a 140-character tweet.

When not blogging or eating, you can find her thinking about innovative technologies, planning out where to eat or travel next, or looking up on trends about health, pets, and wine. :)

Get in touch with her through rochkirstin@yahoo.com or view the About page to know more.